Senator O’Ban calls for public hearings on train derailment

Senator Steve O’Ban is calling for public hearings into the Amtrak train derailment that killed three people in December.

Photos of the train derailment in Pierce County

Senator O’Ban, who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee, says he doesn’t want to wait for the full NTSB investigation — which could take months — before asking questions.

He wants the Washington State Department of Transportation and Amtrak to be part of the public hearings. His questions include why positive train control wasn’t fully operational before the route began; why the curve in DuPont wasn’t straightened as early plans suggested; and what kind of training took place for the crew.

“We’ve got to ask these tough question. I mean, that’s our role. Even if we find somehow that DOT did all of its due diligence we have a responsibility to ask these tough questions after two derailments in about a year.”

Senator O’Ban says though the Republican party doesn’t control the Senate he believes a public hearing for the derailment will receive bi-partisan support.

On Thursday, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao sent a letter to all executive officers of the nation’s Class I railroads. She’s pushing them to implement positive train control by the end of this year. Officials argue the safety system could have helped prevent the crash by automatically slowing the speeding train as it entered a curve in the track.

The National Transportation Safety Board hasn’t spoken with the 55-year-old engineer and 48-year-old conductor who was training during the time of the derailment. The NTSB says damage from the Dec. 18 crash is estimated at more than $40 million.